THE POISON-MASTER. 
439 
paratiou was enveloped in great mystery ; that its principal 
ingredient was furnished by a subterranean plant with a 
tuberous root, which never puts forth leaves, and which is 
called specially ‘ the root ’ (raiz do si misma) ; that the 
venomous exhalations which arise from the manufacture are 
fatal to the lives of the old women who (being otherwise use- 
less) are chosen to watch over this operation ; finally, that 
these vegetable juices are never thought to be sufficiently 
concentrated till a few drops produce at a distance a repulsive 
action on the blood. An Indian wounds himself slightly; 
and a dart dipped in the liquid curare is held near the 
wound. If it make the blood return to the vessels without 
having been brought into contact with them, the poison is 
judged to be sufficiently concentrated.” 
When we arrived at Esmeralda, the greater part of the 
Indians were returning from an excursion which they had 
made to the east, beyond the liio Padarno, to gather juvias, 
or the fruit of the berthoUetia, and the liana which yields 
the curare. Their return was celebrated by a festival, 
which is called in the mission la fiesta de las juvias, and 
which resembles our harvest-homes and vintage-feasts. The 
women had prepared a quantity of fermented liquor ; and 
during two days the Indians were in a state of intoxication. 
Among nations who attach great importance to the fruit 
of the palm, and of some other trees useful for the nourish- 
ment of man, the period when these fruits are gathered is 
marked by public rejoicings, and time is divided according 
to these 'festivals, which succeed one another in a course 
invariably regular. We were fortunate enough to find 
an old Indian more -temperate than the rest, who was 
employed in preparing the curare poison from freshly- 
gathered plants. He was the chemist of the place. We 
found at his dwelling large earthen pots for boiling the 
vegetable juice, shallower vessels to favour the evaporation 
by a larger surface, and leaves of the plantain-tree rolled up 
in the shape of our filters, and used to filtrate the liquids, 
more or less loaded with fibrous matter. The greatest 
order and neatness prevailed in this hut, which was trans- 
formed into a chemical laboratory. The old Indian was 
known throughout the mission by the name of the poison- 
master (amo del curare). He •had that self-sufficient air 
